NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team rode a dominant first half performance to a 79-59 win over Maranatha Baptist University (MBU) on Tuesday.

The Knights came out firing on all cylinders to start the game, shooting 53.3 percent from the field on offense while forcing 15 MBU turnovers and holding the Sabercats to 32.1 percent shooting on the other end on the way to a 52-21 halftime lead.

Joseph Hirsch led the charge for MLC, scoring 18 points and dishing out five assists as the Knights outscored the Sabercats 32-12 in the paint and 21-2 in points off turnovers in the first half.

The Knights cooled off offensively in the second half, but the lead never dropped below 15 points as they cruised to the win.

Hirsch finished the game with a career-best 27 points on 11-19 shooting overall and 4-9 from beyond the three-point arc. Hirsch also led all players with six assists to go with three steals.

Seth Veers and Caleb Westra joined him in double figures with 10 points apiece, with Westra also recording a double-double with 10 rebounds. 

MLC improved to 2-11 on the season with the win. MBU fell to 1-12 in defeat.

The Knights will return to action on Friday, January 14, when they host Northwestern-St. Paul in a game scheduled to tip off at 7:15 p.m.